10 Things You should Know About the First World War

We have all read about the World War and the horrors of the war but that’s not the whole picture of the war. There is more than just bloodbath and deaths. The first World War was not just widespread and caused millions of deaths, it also toppled economies and led to collapse of various countries. Here are 10 things you should know about the First World War.

#1. A Global Scale War

What started as a small conflict between European nations soon turned into a full fledged global war that involved 30 nations from 1914- 1918. Majority of nations joined the Allies and were opposed by Germany, Bulgaria, Austria- Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. After British Empire’s entry into the war, it became a global conflict.

#2. War of production

As nations struggled to get enough men and equipment for their armed forces, it turned into a war of production where countries mobilized their natural resources to produce equipment for army including rifles, machine guns, tanks and artillery shells.

#3. Tanks were developed during WWI

The British were the first to develop tanks during the war and it was a top secret work. Even the workers who were assembling the pieces didn’t know what they were. Moreover, they were initially called ‘landships’ but were later changed to ‘tanks’ to confuse the enemy.

#4. Ambulances

This was also the time when motorized ambulances were being used for the first time. Thousands of men and women volunteered to be their drivers. One of them was Walt Disney!

#5. Role of Women

Before the war, most women stayed at home but as men went off to fight, women took over jobs that were earlier not suitable for them. Suddenly, women were everywhere from factories, buses to offices.